2009 MINI COOPER Complaints

THE PROBLEM FIRST STARTED AS A NOISE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE IN THE COLD. THIS "RATTLE" NOISE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE GOT A BIT WARMER AND THEN WOULD GO AWAY. EVERYTIME THE ENGINE STARTED COLD THE NOISE WOULD COME BACK. I TOOK MY (NOW OUT OF WARRANTY) CAR TO THE MINI DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR AND THE TENSIONER WAS REPLACE. UNFORTUNATELY THE REPAIR DID NOT LAST LONG. ONLY 2 MONTHS LATER THE NOISE RETURNED. I AM STILL LIVING WITH THIS "RATTLE" NOISE HOPING MY CAR DOES NOT BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE DRIVING. I CAN NOT AFFORD THE (OVER $1000) QUOTE FOR REPAIRING THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY AT THIS TIME. I FEEL, AFTER READING THROUGH MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET, THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND ALL TIMING CHAINS OF THESE VEHICLES SHOULD BE REPLACE. THERE IS NO REASON THAT A CAR WITH LESS THAN 75,000 SHOULD NEED A NEW TIMING CHAIN! I HAVE NEVER USED ANYONE BUT MY LOCAL MINI DEALER TO FIX ANY ISSUE WITH MY CAR, I FEEL THAT MINI HAS LET ME DOWN. I WILL BE LOOKING INTO JOINING THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST MINI. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON US 75 SOUTH (DOWNTOWN DALLAS) AND THE VEHICLE (2009 MINI COOPER S) JUST STOPPED, AND ALL OF THE OIL WAS LEAKING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THE ISSUE IS WITH A MINI ISSUE RELATING TO THE TENSIONERS/TIMING CHAIN. *TR

TURBO OIL FEED LINE LEAK, OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET WHICH IS COSTING ME CLOSE TO 1200$. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM THE RADIATOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V008000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

MY CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING OIL AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. THEY ARE CHARGING $357.98 TO HAVE IT FIXED. MY CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW AND HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES ON IT. AS SOON AS MY 4-YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRED, MY CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES DUE TO ENGINE ISSUES. SERVICES THAT HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AT 50,000 MILES: 1. THERMOSTAT IS LEAKING COOLANT- $ 671.99 2. WATER-PUMP ALSO LEAKING COOLANT- $661.20 3. COOLANT FLUSH- $169.80 I USE ONLY PREMIUM GAS FOR MY CAR, PERFORM REGULAR OIL CHANGES, AND MAINTAIN MY CAR METICULOUSLY. THESE PROBLEMS SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING AFTER 4.5 YEARS OF DRIVING. I BELIEVE THAT MINI PRODUCES FAULTY CARS THAT DO NOT LAST, HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO RELIABILITY, AND THEN CHARGES AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT TO FIX SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN BROKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR

KNOWN ISSUES: TIMING CHAIN AND INTAKE VALVES. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT APPROX 40,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED 2 ISSUES THAT SEEM TO BE KNOWN RECURRING ISSUES FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL: CARBONIZED INTAKE VALVES REQUIRING CLEANING, AND REPLACE TIMING CHAIN. THIS BILL WILL COST OVER $2600. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE APPEARED FOR INTAKE VALUE BUILDUP AND ALSO FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUES. INTERNET SEARCHES SHOW THIS AS A COMMON ISSUE AND ALSO A KNOWN ISSUE BY BMW MINI. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL AS THEY KNOWINGLY SOLD THESE DEFECTED CARS IN 2009. WITH ONLY 40K MILES TO DATE, I PLAN TO KEEP THIS CAR FOR AT LEAST 4 MORE YEARS. MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE WITH BILLS LIKE THIS ONE. *TR

FIRE DID NOT OCCUR, BUT THERE IS A RISK. MANY MINI COOPER MODELS WITH TURBOCHARGERS ARE EXPERIENCING A LEAKY OIL FEED LINE TO THE TURBO AFTER APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES. DUE TO A POORLY INSULATED RUBBER GASKET. IT IS A MANUFACTURING FLAW, BUT MINI HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE. THIS IS A FIRE RISK. THE OIL IS ALLOWED TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE BAY, AND IT CAN DESTROY THE ENGINE BECAUSE MINI COOPERS DO NOT HAVE AN OIL SENSOR. *TR

WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC AT DEALERSHIP TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAD BEEN REPLACED WHILE IN FOR SERVICE IN PAST BUT NOW IT NEEDS REPLACED ANOTHER EMPLOYEE 2 DAYS LATER SAYS NO RECORD OF IT. I NEED TO PAY FULL AMOUNT. TOO EARLY FOR TIMING CHAIN REPLACEMENT TO BE REQUIRED IN A DECENT CAR. DEFECT. NEEDS RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE WATER PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I STARTED THE CAR AND A LOUD RATTLING NOISE CAME FROM THE ENGINE. I DROVE ABOUT 5 MILES AND THE OIL CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO A JIFFY LUBE THAT WAS WITHIN 2 MILES AND THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BY THE TIME I GOT TO JIFFY LUBE THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE ANY OIL LEFT. THE CAR WAS SERVICED BY THE MINI DEALER ONLY 4 MONTHS PRIOR. HAD THE CAR TOWED 1 1/2 HOURS TO THE NEAREST MINI DEALER. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE TIMING TENSIONER CHAIN. THE DEALER SAID MINI WOULD COVER THOSE REPAIRS BUT THE TURBO OIL FEED LINE WAS LEAKING TOO AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT. IT COST ME $900.00. I ASKED IF THE CAR HAD A HEAT ON IT AND HE SAID NO BUT THAT I DON'T REALLY NEED ONE. I THOUGHT THERE HAD BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN PUT OUT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THE HEAT FROM THE TURBO CAUSING THIS ISSUE BUT HE SAID IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. *TR